Questions regarding the Biomechanics of Running

Ben- I did review your questions and will reply. I'd also like to suggest a different view to your inquiry. What you are asking seems to be the BIG question about barefoot vs shoes running. Yet the whole question is basically of mute-point. Be it barefoot or shoes; the question is: Was the human body designed for extended running? My belief is NO. We can if needed run great distances, yet there is no logic to it. The human body is designed for movement and for variance of stride. Our ancestors truly had no need to RUN mile after mile on smooth level surfaces. Yes we may have chased prey, yet I would hope our brain allowed for stalking, for sneaking up on; for moments of walking/jogging . . . brief sprints and maybe the occasional longer run if something was trying to eat us. Ben- we live in a time where everyone had been brainwashed that TIME is critical- yet, seriously, most of our evolution was simple wandering around. If you remove RUNNING as we know it today; then be it barefoot or shoes . . . the injury rate would be nearly nil. Just go out and enjoy movement- walk/jog/run . . . stalk some imagined prey . . . its actually quite fun. Peace - Steve

Hey Ben, you can post this in the Studies forum through the Forums link if you wish. -TJ